Who knew Physical Science could be so...physical

I wrote this for extra credit in my science class. She wanted us to write a short story that used the electical circuit in a meaningful and creative way. I wrote this as my interpretation of that assignment. Feedback would be lovely.


Alice is just your average work-a-day woman. At the age of 35 years she’s single and works at the JC Penny’s at the local mall. Her job begins at 9am and she gets off at 5pm. She does not take time for much else except investing in the stock market at which she is very successful given the fact that she has excellent timing.
Alice’s daily routine starts at 7:00am when her alarm clock goes off and she rises from her slumber. Often times she is caught off guard by the obnoxious noise. Alice then turns her coffee pot on and pre-heats her oven for breakfast. She’s a bit on the health freak side of things but still enjoys the smell of fresh brewed caffeinated coffee. While she is waiting, she goes to take a hot shower, thanks to the water being heated by her water heater. She is also thankful that she lives alone and does not have to wait on anyone to get out of the shower. Neither does she have to worry about someone using all of the hot water before she can get a shower. Once out, she blow dries her hair with her blow dryer and straightens it with her flat iron and brushes her teeth with an electric toothbrush. Usually she tries to fix her hair either curly or straight but she does realize that if she is not careful she could very easily ruin her lovely, luscious locks. Anyway, after she finishes her coffee and breakfast she turns off the lights in her house and opens her electric garage door. She is a little paranoid about turning out the lights because she knows how much they can increase the electric bill every month. Having done that, she gets into her car and drives to work.
As Alice drives to her work she carefully follows the traffic light signals to drive safely. The traffic at this time of morning is horrific, especially around the mall; a little nerve racking would be putting it lightly. While she is driving, she is listening to the radio in her car and talking on her cell phone after she receives a page from her pager. One of her main strengths is multitasking though it has gotten her into trouble on occasion. Alice’s personality is type A so she quickly notes the time from her watch. ‘Right on time’ she thinks to herself.
When she arrives at work an eager customer promptly greets Alice. Not only is the customer in a hurry but is in a foul mood as well. Alice rings up the purchase as quickly as she can and uses the cash register to calculate and store the payment of the patrons purchase. This process occurs many times during the day until finally the 5 o’clock hour appears on the clock. Alice is tired after her hard day’s work. After she gratefully hands over the cashier’s box to her supervisor, Donna, she wearily gets into her car to head home.
Upon arrival at her house she signals for the garage door to open and she drives her baby blue ‘03 Ford Mustang inside. Once inside she realizes the sun has gone down and it is difficult to see in her garage and is not unperturbed by it. She fumbles around in the dark and after stubbing her pinky toe, finds a light switch. She then goes inside her house, but because of her exhaustion forgets to set her alarm system.
On her way up stairs and stubbing her pinky toe on the other foot, she turns on some more lights to aid her in finding her room. Also, she stops by the kitchen to pre-heat the oven once more, this time for supper. What’s on the menu? Meatless-meat loaf, it’s a family recipe. Before supper, she decides to wash and dry a load of clothes with her washing machine and electric clothes dryer.
After changing her clothes and eating supper Alice decides she would like to relax. She turns on the light by her favorite recliner, which has a built in vibrator and electric heating pad, with her favorite book, Gone with the Wind, and turns on the radio to her favorite station. Her intention is to read her book but after the first few sentences she drifts off into dreamland. About an hour later, Alice is abruptly awakened by the sound of glass shattering somewhere in her house. She jerks to a cognitive state and Alice figures she is no longer the only person in her house. Paralyzed with fear, Alice suddenly sees an armed robber in her house. He is waving a gun, a pistol of some sort, but she could not tell what kind. She is at a lost for what to do. She pleads with what she believes to be a male to put the gun down. Instead, he aims and shoots. Alice crumbles to the floor, bleed profusely having been shot in the heart. And the rest is history. Little did Alice know the decision to set the alarm on her house would cost Alice her life. If only she had taken the time to connect that circuit. If only, if only, now it is too late.
The story of a day in Alice’s life is not too unlike too many of ours. It is a prime example of how dependant the average American is on electricity and more specifically the electric circuit. Most do not realize the dependency they have on it and like most things do not realize this dependency till they can no longer depend on it. The most basic principle of the electric circuit is so overlooked by the average person, yet it is so closely connected in one form or another to nearly every activity in our lives. We can flip a switch, a miniscule task, and a whole room is enlightened all because of an electric circuit. However, we become acutely aware if the circuit does not work. For instance, if we have too many things plugged into one outlet, we find to our dismay that it only takes one too many appliances to cause all of the appliances to stop functioning. We could not even drive a car without an electrical circuit. Though an electric circuit may not be too terribly complicated, it could make the difference of you losing your job because your alarm did not go off and you were late for work, or the difference of you being killed because the robber who broke into your house shot you. In conclusion, the electrical circuit is not only a significant part of our lives; it is very often taken for granted as well.